Black Country Museum looking for families to share wartime stories

BLACK Country Living Museum's First World War summer centenary commemorations will culminate in a day of theatre, storytelling and music next weekend.

The museum is looking to make the day extra memorable by encouraging visitors to share their family's wartime stories.

Resident poet, Dave Reeves will be looking for memories of family members who were involved in the military, prescribed occupations or on the home front.

The writer-historian, who has previously worked for the BBC, will pull the stories together in a piece of collaborative writing, which visitors will be able to download the following day.

Curators may use the stories to inform future projects, and potentially as a basis for new on-site characters.

Families will also have the opportunity to immerse themselves in wartime Britain with a series of hands on activities throughout the day, including army drills, home front postcard printing, munitionette ‘selfies’ and a vibrant street theatre.

Wolverhampton Central Youth Theatre will also premiere their short film, After Dawn, in the Limelight Cinema.

Supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, with scenes filmed at the Locksmith’s House in Willenhall, the film depicts the stories of local Black Country soldiers who were executed for cowardice and desertion.